Automatic stock-indicator for furnaces



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. E. BROWN.

AUTOMATIC STOCK INDICATOR FOB. FURNACES.

Patented Aug. 9,18 7.-

Mi 1? nanrem,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. 1-]. BROWN.

AUTOMATIC STOCK INDICATOR FOR FURNACES.

No. 368,064. v Patented Aug. 9, 1887.

II- II Fig. 4.

N PEIERS. Pmwutm n mr. wanhiqpoo, ac,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER E. BROWVN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC STOCK-INDICATOR FOR FURNACES.

SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,064, dated August 9, 1887.

Application filed March 5, 1887. Serial No. 229,809. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. BROWN, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Automatic Stock-Indicator for Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the contrivances and apparatus employed for supplying ore and fuel to the top openings ofblast-furnaces and for filling in the materials at the tops of furnaces.

Previous to my invention means have been devised and used for the purpose of enabling the engineer or attendant to know exactly the condition of the material in the furnace, or, in other words, to know exactly the locality of the stock-line at each time of supplying material to the top of the furnace, the bell which descends each time onto the top of the stock in the manner well known being connected through the medium of a suitable rope or cable with the indicator device, the hand or pointer of which at each operation of the bell clearly indicating to the person below the depth or level to which the bell descended before touching the top of the stock in the furnace.

Such means for the purposes alluded to are well known to those familiar with the opeartion of contrivanees for supplying furnaces of the approved or latest pattern. I have, however, illustrated the main parts of such a contrivance, and will refer to them further on.

It has been found by experiment and practice thatin running furnaces it not infrequently happens that serious difficulties arise from the fact of the attendants not having properly or 0 judiciously supplied the filling-in materials to the top of the furnacein the proper quantitics and at the proper times to keep the stockline always at about the proper level; but as there exists no means for the discovery of such delinquencies or lack ofjudgment on the part of the attendants charged with the proper management of the furnace, it has been impos sible to discover to a certainty the causes of the bad working of the furnace, or of the imperfection in the iron produced, or to charge the responsibility of such. improper working to the attendants running the furnace.

I propose to provide means for registering and detecting the exact cause of any diliiculty in the running of the furnace whenever such difficulties arise from any irregularity or mismanagement in the matter of keeping the furnace always properly supplied with the fillingin materials; and to this main end and object my invention may be said to consist, essentiall y, in the use, in connection with the known appliances for filling in the material at the top of the furnace and for indicating the condition or locality of the stock-line each time the bell is lowered, of a means or mechanism which shall invariably and continuously record the position of the stock-line at each and every descent of the hell, that is dropped whenever material is supplied to the top of the furnace.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention relates to understand and practice the same, I will now proceed to more fully describe my improvement, referring by letters of reference to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which I have illustrated my improvement can ried out in that form which is about the best now known to me and in which I have so far successfully practiced it.

In the drawings I have illustrated by skeleton views or diagrams, at Figuresl and 2, the

top portion of an ordinary blast-furnace, of approved construction, and the main portions of the appliances connected with the top of the furnace, and by means of which the attendant can observe visually the condition of the stock-line each time the bell is lowered. for filling in material. At Fig. 3 I have shown by a diagram the means or mechanism which it is proposed'to add to the apparatus now in use for the purpose of effecting results due to my improvement. Fig. 4 is simply adiagram of a slip of paper or covering which may be used on the indicator-cylinder that I employ, and upon which is marked and kept a record of the operations of the furnace.

In the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference.

At Fig. 1, A represents the top opening of a blast-furnace; B, the bell, which, as usual, is connected by a rod, 0, to one end ofthe operating-lever D, which at its other end is connected with the piston of the usual air-cylinder, E, which is under the control of the engineer, and which operates to elevate and lower the bell B in a manner well understood by those familiar with the subject-matter of blast-furnaces.

At Fig. 2 I have shown by mere diagram (which is sufficient for the purpose) a wellknown form ol'indicator, by an observance of which the engineer or attendant knows the depth to which the-bell descends each time, and consequently knows the condition or level of the stock-line. This indicator consists simply of a plate, J, on the face of which is marked a graduated circular scale, a suitable shaft and drum, a, and to the axis of which is secured the hand or pointer I), and a cord or rope, F, wound round said drum, and having its longer end run up to ZIUL connected with the moving part of the bell mechanism, while its shorter end simply suspends a weight, 0. As is well understood, in the operation of such contrivance the cord F is pulled in one direction whenever the bell is lowered, and to an extent proportionate to the descent of said bell, and is moved in the opposite direction as the bell ascends by the counterbalance or weight 0, this movement of the rope F causing an extent of rotation by the drum a commensurate with the degree of movement of the bell in the furnace and causing a degree of vibration of thehand or pointer b that correctly indicates by the figures on the dial-plate J the point to which the bell descends.

In carrying into effect my invention in the form illustrated, I simply combine with this well-known contrivance an indicator cylinder, f, mounted to turn freely upon an axis, con nected with a shaft, 5 to a suitable clock mechanism, 2:, or other motor, connected with said shafty by a suitable gearing and adapted to cause the cylinder f to rotate continuously and with a uniform motion. I also attach to the depending end of the cord F a pencil or marker device, 0, the end of which is always in contact with the indicator card or paper temporarily secured to the periphery of the cylindcrf.

In the operation of such a contrivance as shown diagrammatically at Fig. 3, the marker device or pencil 6 will be caused to make a baek-and-forth or up-and-down stroke on the paper attached to the periphery of the cylinderf every time the depending end of cord F (and its weight 0) is raised and lowered by the movement of the bell mechanism, and to mark circumferentially on said paper while the cord F may be at rest and the cylinder f rotating upon its axis. The effect or result of this mark of the pencil c on the indicator card. or paper attached to the cylinderf will be the produc tion of a diagram on said paper during any given period of time-say, for instance, every twenty-four hours-that will correctly record or register the ti mes at which the bell may have been periodicallylifted, and also the points to which the bell descended every time, and hence a correct record of both the times at which the filling may have been periodically performed. and the level or condition of the stock-line at each filling operation.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. i, a card or paper, which is used preferably, is laid off for parallel transverse divisions, one set of which is used to indicate the times or periods at which the cord ll and pencil 0 may have been moved to make the up and down strokes on the periphery of the indicato1.'-cylinder, and the other to indicate the distance to which the up and down strokes of the pencil extended each time, the diagram thus produced indicating correctly the different times at which the bell may have been lowered and the precise point to which it was lowered each time.

Of course many modifications and variations may be made in the details of construction of such a contrivanee as I have shown and described without departing from the principle of my invention, the gist of which rests in the use, in connection with the appliances now well known, ofa registering mechanism or contrivance which, like the one shown and described, will make a correct record of the times of movementof the bell and the extent of each one of its movements. From this data the owner or superintendent can of course learn 3 exactly how the filling in of the furnace may have been conducted during a given period of time and exactly what condition the stoclcline was in during such time.

Having sufficiently explained my invention to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice it, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

In combination with the filling-in and indicator mechanism of a furnace, means for indt eating the times of movement of the bell of the furnace and also the extent of each movement of said bell, substantially as and for the pun pose hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of August, 1886.

ALEXANDER.- E. BROWN.

In presence of- E. T. SeoviLL, CHAS. W. Knmyv. 

